Using conventional mattresses, individuals who suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and others who sleep on their side often have problems in blood circulation due to the pressure being exerted by the weight of the head and the upper body upon the arms and because of the limited positioning options for an individual's arms. For those individuals who suffer lower back pain and muscle fatigue or who are recovering from surgical procedures, conventional mattresses do not provide comfortable sleeping supports.
There are a number of patents that have addressed this problem with special construction shapes, configurations, both fixed and adjustable, to make lying down more comfortable, particularly to persons recovering from various orthopedic surgery operations. Representative of these is U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,096, Budde, which is a particular type of surgical mattress, the center portion of which conforms to the body shape and which can be placed on a regular mattress for patient recovery of a spinal or neck injury with various sized pads to support the head and shoulders of the patient. Neither this patent nor any of the other references set forth in the accompanying Information Disclosure Statement provide a mattress system which may be used in a conventional manner or when modified in accordance with the invention may provide comfortable sleeping for someone who is required as a result of surgical procedures or by choice to sleep on one's side.